When do we have time to consider time?

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When do we have time to consider time?

Timing is Everything…Culturally Speaking

We never have enough time. It’s flying, wasted, or spent. In

marketing, we strive to be punctual for meetings and deadlines. So

when do we have time to consider time? For culturally sensitive

marketers, time is key. When we look to establish an emotional link

with a Hispanic consumer, we must consider the elements of culture

that control values, thoughts, and behaviors; and time is one of these

“dimensions [that] provides the nesting place for archetypes to take

root.”[1]

Westerners tend to view time as linear. We see events in a straight

line, with each successive action following another. Many other

cultures see time not as monochronic, but polychronic, which is

characterized by events occurring simultaneously. The famous

anthropologist, Edward T. Hall, conducted extensive research of

monochronic and polychronic cultures found that cultural

miscommunication is often the result of not understanding the

different structures of scheduling or managing time. Hall concludes

that monochronic cultures (primarily North America and Northern

Europe) “emphasize schedules, punctuality, and preciseness.”

Monochronic cultures emphasize “doing” things, productivity, and

getting things done “one time.” Time should be managed and planned

and not wasted.[2]

A polychronic view of time, according to Hall, is primarily in Latin

American, African and Native American cultures.[3] When considering

other Hispanic archetypes, this is logical. Hispanic cultures “are

more likely than Anglos to believe that nature and the supernatural

control their lives.”[4] Therefore, time is associated with natural

rhythms, the earth, and seasons. It is not manipulated, but with a

higher power, and therefore it can be spontaneous or sporadic. “There

is more valued placed on “being” than on “doing”.”[5]

Now of course this view is over-generalized and simplistic. Levels of

assimilation, occupation, and general demographics may all effect the

degree of truthfulness in this assumption. Time can be a very

individualized concept, which I proved arriving late to an interview

with my Hispanic friend, Juan. He was born in Costa Rica, and

immigrated to the United States when he was fourteen. He is now

twenty-one and a college student. I sought to find out how he viewed

time in Latin American versus the United States.

Juan told me he was not offended by my tardiness, and asking why, he

replied, “Maybe you were talking to friends or family.” This

underscores another important dimension, the importance of

interpersonal relationships in the Hispanic culture. Juan explained

that when Americans travel to Costa Rica, they adjust to “Tico time”,

or the timing of Costa Ricans. He described “Tico time” as much more

laid back, and without rush. He made a clear distinction, however,

between this attitude and procrastination.

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